Gotta love rollercoasters...

Hi everyone,

Don't forget Boy Crazy at Hooch in the Gypsy Co-Op on Saturday May 6th at 8:30 p.m. It's going to be an amazing show - mark your calendars! Hope you all had a lovely Easter or Passover. Mine was kind of indicative of life in general right now, a bit of a rollercoaster. I spent Good Friday down with a not-so-good migraine that lasted two days. Thankfully I was able to enjoy Sunday with the family. Easter dinner... mmm yum.

And now the rollercoaster. I was let go from my job recently. The international mailing list got a longer version of the story, but since several of you on this list are friends of mine and already know, I won't repeat it yet again. Needless to say it was hurtful and surprising, especially since I'd been in it for a very short time. Having had a week to contemplate it though (which is pretty much all I've been doing), I sincerely, honestly think that at this time next year I'll be thanking the stars that it happened. I had the chance to meet some great people with whom I'm developing friendships. I worked for a company with a wonderful woman at the helm and I truly believe that having her become part of my life, which she still is, is the reason why I was led there. Each scenario exists for a purpose and once its purpose has been achieved, the necessity of its existence ceases to be and a new one takes its place. The seed that was to be planted where I was was planted, even if the fruit will not ripen until further down the road. So it's back to the search, which can be disheartening and exhausting. (Anyone with leads, please let me know!) There is one huge gift that I have now - the time to make music. I had been working so much overtime, including weekends, that invoices and receipts were all I was starting to recognize. But piano keys feel sooo much better under my fingers than calculator buttons, and words should never take a backseat to numbers, and no matter how hard I try I hear no melody in the sound of adding machines.

Now the coaster goes back up... In 1995 & '96, I worked as an usher at the Toronto Centre for the Arts (then the Ford Centre). I was hired before the opening of Sunset Boulevard and stayed on for Ragtime, which moved and inspired me like no musical I had seen and heard since Les Mis. It's still my second favourite musical of all time; to call the score "beautiful" simply doesn't do it justice. It is exquisite. So I'm overcome with nostalgia and very, very pleased to say that I'll be back at the Centre at the end of May, this time as an ensemble member in Encore Entertainment's production of Ragtime. I was cast a few months ago and rehearsals thus far have been a joy and a welcome challenge. I am so honoured to have been chosen, because although I've always loved musicals, I'm the only person in the cast who doesn't have any musical theatre background!

When we introduced ourselves on the first day, everyone had just done Company or Chess or Into The Woods or something and here I was, this singer/songwriter chick saying "Uh, hi. I'm Tanisha... and um, this is my first musical." Very daunting at first. But now I'm loving it and learning a lot. I find I'm singing more quietly than I'm capable of though, which is weird because I can completely let loose when I'm doing my own thing. I'm sure that an expert would say that's it's some sort of a psychological block because I'm a bit intimidated in the midst of all of these incredibly talented people who are old hat at this. That expert would probably be right; it's a brand new arena for me, much more demanding that high school choir! But it's beautiful. Singing this stuff is better than s... cheesecake, Mom, cheesecake. =)

Talk to y'all later, Tanisha.

New season, new year.

Happy Spring Everyone!

Well it was finally starting to look like warm'n'lovely days could be ahead of us, and now I see that flurries are in the forecast for tomorrow. Let the record show that I am not pleased.

I must say a huge thank you to the folks who played in Friends With Benefits on March 17th - Dan Goldman, Grainne Ryan, Paul Cannata, Shauna Major, Mike Audet and The Brooks Sisters. Much appreciation to Mary Arthur for filling in for an ill artist at the last minute and aweing the room with her cello. Thanks to Josh on bar, Brian on sound, and once again Kathrin for her support. Here's the tune that I wrote the night that I decided to start the series. It was after the Iranian earthquake last year. This is a very rough demo with just a drum loop and very simple other stuff, but the song won't be on a future album so I thought I'd share Wishing Will with you here.

While I'm on the topic of shows, I must tell you all about my next one. A few years ago I started Girlz Doin' Girlz, featuring local chiquitas performing the work of their favourite Canadian female artists. Now we're going Boy Crazy, in a celebration of male artists by still more local lassies. Not only will the women perform, but they'll share a bit about why certain men have inspired and influenced them as songwriters. I think it's going to be an amazing night so I highly encourage people to come out!

I had a birthday last week, and took the time to think a lot about life, its peaks and its pitfalls. It's odd how one day you can just not feel that young anymore, when you look back and suddenly there's this vivid history that's yours and it spans the length of an entire generation. You wonder if you're reasonably intelligent yet or still really dumb in the scheme of things. You ponder whether who you are now is truly the sum of all your life experience, or perhaps just the summation of it, and if some crucial lessons have gone over your head completely. What does a digit in your age changing really mean? 365 days more of understanding perhaps, or just a slower metabolism? (Sigh) I figure that birthdays are life's request that we take notice of ourselves. I think they're a gentle nudge, a true gift, a reminder that we're not here forever so best to step on it. So many people lament their birthdays, but seriously - what is the alternative to not having your next one? We really must all endeavour to live and love and laugh while we're here, even when we don't feel like doing any of 'em. And learn of course. Always learn.

Whether this is very early wish for you - or a very belated one - Happy Birthday. I'm glad you were all born. =)

Best wishes for the new season, Tanisha